2013 Newcomers Guide

Old Austin vs. New Austin

By Lynn Freehill

Published: July 31, 2013

In just a few short years, Austin has gone from being a sleepy college town to one of the hottest places to live in the country. In fact, the metro area stretching from Round Rock to San Marcos tops Forbes’ “Fastest Growing Cities in America” list for the third year in a row. With thousands moving here annually, it’s no wonder every aspect of our community is feeling the impact. From our once-fledgling film industry to our now internationally recognized culinary scene, we are not just the Live Music Capital of the World anymore. While some would like to Keep it Weird here, others welcome the growth. For our annual Newcomers Guide, we present a look at a dozen ways the city has evolved and where we’re heading. We’ll leave it up to you to decide if you like it.

Cameras have been rolling in Austin for decades. Tobe Hooper unleashed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974, and nearly 10 years later, the Coen Brothers gave us the modern film-noir classic Blood Simple. But Richard Linklater, who founded the Austin Film Society in ’85, and Robert Rodriguez, who studied at UT’s radio-television-film program, really jumpstarted the indie movement for which Austin has became known. “They were our big success stories,” says AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell. “That is still true today, but an exciting new generation of filmmakers has burst onto the scene. And news flash: There are female directors [like Kat Candler and Emily Hagins] in the mix now.”

The world saw some of our emerging talent in January, when 10 locally made films screened at Sundance, including Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess and Yen Tan’s Pit Stop. “It was a surprise for some people, but for me, it’s been an evolutionary process,” says longtime resident and filmmaker Bryan Poyser. “The development of the film community has been a slow, steady rise. A lot of us were drawn here by that idea that Austin was turning into an independent film center that was different from New York and L.A.” With Austin Studios growing in stature and size (it recently took over the National Guard Armory), the evolution continues.

There was a time when culinary fare in the capital city ranged from barbecue to Tex-Mex, with a nice dinner at Green Pastures thrown in for a special occasion. What a difference a few years make. What was the we-have-arrived moment for Austin’s culinary scene? When everyone buzzed about our mobile food trucks? Or, when Top Chef filmed here in 2012 and Paul Qui won the season? Or was it when three Austin joints were on Bon Appétit’s “10 Most Important Restaurants in America” list? The answer is simply “yes,” says Marshall Jones, executive director of the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas. “Yes, it has exploded,” he says. “Yes, it really is as good as you’ve heard. Yes, we revere our chefs like the rock stars they are. And yes, there really is a line to get in at every good restaurant in town.”

Of course, other foodie cities like New York and San Francisco possess those qualities, too. The difference is that here, great food comes without pretense. Every James Beard Award winner, Top Chef, Food Network Star, Chopped contestant and trailer owner is treated with the same enthusiasm and respect, Jones says.

Today, non-native Texans are bringing tastes from around the country and world. Even chefs who were born here have brought ideas from their training elsewhere. Chef Shawn Cirkiel, who owns Parkside, The Backspace and Olive & June, grew up on an area farm, worked in places like New York City and Napa Valley, then returned to find the world’s eyes on his old home. He wasn’t necessarily surprised. “If you have fun in your own backyard,” he says, “everyone else will come over.”

Remember when it used to take no time at all to get from Highway 360 to Riverside Drive? Those days are long gone, but the gridlock on MoPac and I-35 belies how diversified our travel options are today, especially in the downtown area.

Greater Austin is transitioning, says Glenn Gadbois, executive director of Movability Austin, an organization that helps the 125,000 daily downtown commuters try bus, train, bike and other options. “There are a lot of people who can carpool or take mass transit,” he says, adding that the city’s MetroRail is running better and that the new bus service, Rapid Bus, looks promising for riders, offering fewer stops, Wi-Fi, nicer waiting stations and “real-time arrival estimates.”

Other changes include the number of bike commuters, which has doubled since 2000 (the city now has invested in 200-miles worth of bike lanes), and a bigger investment in sidewalks for pedestrians. Where is all this leading us? “A safer and friendlier dynamic,” says Gadbois. “As we get more people living downtown, everything will become more people-friendly.”

Music for the Masses

Old School: Armadillo World Headquarters, Threadgill’s, Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray VaughanNew School: The East Side, ACL Live at the Moody Theater, Antone’s on East Riverside, Gary Clark Jr.

If one thing hasn’t changed about the city, it’s the amount of live music available on any given night—but with some new developments. “It ain’t like it used to be, but it’ll do,” says Threadgills’ Eddie Wilson, quoting the last line of the Western The Wild Bunch. As the longtime manager of the iconic Armadillo World Headquarters, where outlaw country and psychedelia ruled in the ’70s, Wilson has seen venue upheavals. Yet he finds the consistently stellar management of places like the Continental Club and Saxon Pub inspiring. Clubs are able to stick it out.

Since the ’90s, the Red River district has ebbed and flowed with Stubb’s, Mohawk, Club de Ville and other venues settling in the area. Now the latest trend has club owners looking outward, with older establishments like Emo’s and Antone’s relocating to lower-rent spaces on East Riverside. Like Wilson, James Taylor, co-owner of the newer establishment Holy Mountain on Seventh Street, has seen the comings, goings and movings of businesses. He chalks it up to urban nature while noting that venues are thinking outside the box. When an institution like Hole in the Wall partners with the food trailer East Side King, that bodes well for the future of live music, he believes. “That right there is, in a nutshell, old versus new Austin,” he says. “Those are two institutions, and that they’ve partnered up is amazing.” While small venues come and go and keep the local scene alive, new venues like ACL Live at the Moody Theater and the Austin360 Amphitheater at the Circuit of The Americas are bringing more big-name acts, giving Austinites an even greater number of options for live music.

As for local talent, Austin is no longer home to just country, blues and folk music darlings. “It’s so diverse now,” says Matt Reilly, program director at KUTX radio station. “You’ve got hip-hop in the mix, Latin flavors and a more beard-y independent rock scene. There’s more variety than there’s ever been.” Variety is why Arlyn Studios owner Freddy Fletcher left Nashville and returned to his hometown (for more, see page 42). “There weren’t boundaries put on anybody before, and there still aren’t,” he says. “What I’ve seen change is the volume of musicians moving here, which is healthy, I think.”

For decades, boosters pushed growth in the bucolic state capital. No matter what they did, Austin remained about the same cozy size. Now it’s perhaps the most unstoppable boomtown in America.

Last year, Austin was the country’s fastest-growing metro area of more than 1 million, according to Forbes. In 2000, the metro area was home to 1.2 million; now it’s 1.8 million. Whether it’s the warm weather, healthy economy or job opportunities, somehow we manage to draw both the young and the old, city demographer Ryan Robinson says.

While Austin had the highest attraction rates for college graduates for the third consecutive year, the fastest-growing cohort was actually seniors and “pre-seniors” (the 55-to-64 age range). Growth is big among Hispanics, hoped-for among African-Americans and rapid among Asians, rising to 7 percent of the population. And there’s no telling where it will all end, even for Robinson. “I don’t think we’re at the beginning of this boom, but we’re not at the end of it,” he says. “There’s so much momentum built into this.”

There is still one sport that can bring 100,000-plus screaming maniacs to a stadium so mammoth it’s like Austin’s Grand Canyon. But more is happening than Longhorn football. Cedric Golden, sports columnist for the Austin American-Statesman, cites area minor league teams for soccer, hockey and baseball. “We’re not a one-horse town anymore,” he says. “UT football’s still the biggest horse, but there are a lot of other options for sports fans out there besides football.” Perhaps we’re trading a horse for an automobile. Building Formula 1’s Circuit of The Americas track took millions and drew what Golden calls “a virtual United Nations” to our city. Could tennis be next? We got the Davis Cup in 2011. Next there’s talk of bringing a pro exhibition featuring Roger Federer to the COTA. Ladies and gentlemen, this engine’s only getting started.

Moving on Up

Old School: The Capitol, the UT Tower, suburbsNew School: The W, the Austonian, downtown

Back in the day, the Capitol Building and UT Tower dominated Austin’s skyline. People built homes far from the dead downtown area, and Lady Bird Lake’s power plant, water treatment plant and long floodplain kept builders far from water. All that is unthinkable today. The hike and bike trail around the lake is packed, and the Waller Creek redevelopment area leading into it is next. “The heart of the city is becoming the lake,” says Larry Speck, former dean of UT’s School of Architecture. “That is transformational.” Now everyone wants to be downtown and high-rises are thriving. There’s the W Hotel, the 56-story Austonian and, coming soon, the 1,012-room J.W. Marriott and 50-story Fairmont. Another trend? Whereas years ago we were all about air-conditioning, says architect Dick Clark, now almost every business wants a huge patio. “Outdoor space is coming back because that’s really a pleasant way to live,” he says.

When Michael Sanders was at UT, dollar beers, quarter well drinks and Sixth Street ruled. Craft cocktails? Try sweet and sour mix. That was only the late ’90s. But Austin had long coasted on beer and margaritas. Sanders never imagined he’d be back 12 years later, opening craft cocktail bar drink.well. with his wife, Jessica. Like drinkers nationwide, Austinites are thirsty for more historic or unique libations, he found. “People come in and say, ‘I always used to drink vodka-sodas,’ and they wind up finding their new go-to drink,” Sanders says. Portland transplant Adam Bryan helped start the trend locally as the opening bar manager of East Side Show Room. He moved to Bar Congress, helped friends open drinking holes and is setting up his own spot, Motel, later this year on the East Side. Now he’s seeing even 30-year-old favorites like Hyde Park Bar & Grill rethink their drink offerings. “No one wants to get rid of Lone Star or shots of Jameson,” he says, “but we want to have options.”

Austin doesn’t like to rank 48th out of 50 for anything (except stress levels). So when the city came in near last in The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s rankings of charitable giving 10 years ago, it was a wake-up call. Luckily, some considered it a call to action, including Patsy Woods Martin, who founded I Live Here, I Give Here.

A former United Way Capital Area vice president saw that in order for Austin to grow giving rates, it could use an umbrella group to encourage philanthropy. Several other organizations were starting up then, too, like Citizen Generation (formerly Charity Bash), FuturoFund and Austin Involved. I Live Here, I Give Here made the biggest splash recently when the group sponsored its first successful 24-hour “Amplify Austin” giving marathon in March. Raising $1 million for 300 community organizations was the goal; but it went above and beyond by netting nearly $2.8 million.

Simultaneously, Austinites, like Americans generally, are using sites like IndieGoGo and Kickstarter to support creative projects. Last year, local musician Gina Chavez aimed to raise $10,000 through Kickstarter to fund her second studio album. In the end, she came up with $15,345, and she’s not alone. In 2012, 653 fundraising projects were launched by locals on Kickstarter (373 successfully met their fundraising goals) and $6.6 million was raised, more than double the amount raised for creative residents since Kickstarter’s launch in 2009. Austin’s already shot up to a 32nd charitability ranking among metros, according to The Chronicle of Philantrophy—with all this giving going on, expect that number to keep heading skyward, too.

The man who coined the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan isn’t always optimistic. Red Wassenich worries about what Austin keeps or loses. For example, one man’s yard art gone wild, the Cathedral of Junk, nearly met its death-by-city-regulation a few years ago. Thankfully, it survived. And Clarksville’s so-called Graffiti Park, located on Baylor Street, gave Wassenich further hope. Developers planned apartments but found the ground unstable, so five years ago they let artists go to town on the foundation. “It’s just beautiful,” he says. Hope springs anew for historical preservation, too. When that movement began locally in 1974, people wanted to save monuments like the Paramount Theatre, according to Jacqui Schraad, executive director of Preservation Austin. “Now,” she says, “there’s a new focus on protecting all of the culture of Austin, including significant buildings to Hispanic and African-American history, like Victory Grill on East 11th, and iconic businesses, like the Broken Spoke.”

So long, Barton Creek Mall. Hello, Second Street! “Oh my God, there are thousands of choices,” gasps fashion columnist Stephen Moser about Austin’s retail options compared to yesteryear. Moser, who began documenting fashion for the Austin Chronicle in the ’90s, has seen huge additions, like the posh 2nd Street District, funky vintage North Loop, farther-flung Hill Country Galleria and ultra-luxe Domain. “It has become world-class shopping,” Moser says. “It’s opening up everywhere now, and that’s as it should be.” Change started with South Congress becoming “SoCo,” a signature strip of cool businesses. Gail Chovan, designer and owner of the boutique Blackmail, helped kickstart the area’s revival in 2000. “It started as a destination. Then the neighborhood embraced it, and the town is very supportive of the independent retailers,” Chovan says. “People want soul.” Another sign of our growing fashion scene: the number of designers popping up, including Ross Bennett, who appeared on NBC’s Fashion Star, and Daniel Esquivel, who almost made the cut to go to New York’s Fashion Week on Project Runway.

Land once seemed limitless around Austin. But the population has grown—along with development. So residents and leaders have gotten serious about setting aside more land for preservation, parks and public space. Last November, voters approved $30 million to buy more land in the Barton Springs watershed. Now about 30,000 acres are protected there.

The city acquired the springs in 1917 and understood its ecological significance. And the community long wanted to protect the watershed, forming groups like the Zilker Park Posse and the Save Barton Springs Association, says Executive Director Bill Bunch of the present-day umbrella group, Save Our Springs Alliance. “It wasn’t until the ’90s that there really started to be a campaign to buy as much of the watershed land as possible,” Bunch says. “Every single bond issue to do that has been passed.”

Closer to downtown, groups have formed to protect other treasures. The Trail Foundation, founded in 2003, seeks to improve the infrastructure and environment along the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake. And the Waller Creek Conservancy has emerged to enable a chain of parks along the long-degraded creek. “Waller Creek has so much potential,” Executive Director Stephanie McDonald says. “It’s going to take a lot of investment, but it could be very beautiful.”